Let's jump right into it. Nose, first!

Oh. Oh, no. Why do they smell like this? 

Seriously, I'm pretty forgiving in terms or aroma, but had I not -just- bought these, and checked that best by date is May 2024, I'd think they'd gone rancid. 

Perhaps they were going for a sharp, provolone cheese, kind of thing here, but it smells like feet and rancid fryer oil. I hate it. And as a New Jersian, who has been adjacent to Philadelphia, the home of the cheesesteak, for 30+years...it's whiz-wit or bust, baby. 

The aroma is actually putting me off, so I am going to try a chip and hope for the best. 

Break me off a piece of that Birthday Cake!

Birthday Cake Kit-Kat Bar 

I'm a hypocrite. I rant about "birthday cake" flavoring being a scam, which I 100% stand by, and yet? I. Just. Keep. Buying. It. 

After I searched for, "birthday cake," on my blog, and saw how many results came up, I realized how intense my hypocrisy has been. Why keep buying a product that infuriates me? 

But, after looking at the results? They prove my theory to be true.  

Any cake, any flavor, can be a, "birthday cake." Some of these products are chocolate with chocolate frosting, some vanilla, with vanilla frosting, sometimes a mix of the two...the only thing that stays consistent is sprinkles. Every single one of these "birthday" items has sprinkles, either actual ones, or implied specks of rainbow colors. And I am expecting this to be more of the same. 

Dots: Summer Edition

Watermelon Dots - Dollar Tree 

Last fall, I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed Ghost Dots. The Halloween variation contains the classic year-round flavors, but every candy is the same shade of looks-like-it-glows-in-the-dark green. (They don't actually glow, FYI.) The novelty of the Halloween version is you don't know which flavor you are going to get because they all look the same. 

In snacking, I would classify myself as a hunter-picker. I seek out what I want, leaving my least favorites (usually orange or grape in most mixes) for last. Or I meticulously make the rounds until everything is even and then choose the least favorites to go first so I can savor my favorites last. (Not sure if that is a normal thing.) Long story short, I couldn't do that with Ghost Dots, but I liked it. I really liked it. Even though I was never a massive Dots fan, I went out of my way to buy several Ghost boxes before they disappeared for the season. But my supply ran out, and normal Dots just don't appeal to me, so I decided to try this summery version instead. 

And this is kind of similar in a way. They all look the same....because they are the same. This entire box is just watermelon flavored, and I have never had Dots' take on Watermelon, so let's home I like it! 

Sweet Sherbet Summer Sippin'

Rainbow Sherbet Sparkling Water - Target 

Did you know, it's "sherbet?" Not, "sherbert." 

I definitely grew up pronouncing it, "sure-bert," and didn't think twice of it. Until a college (English) professor of mine went on an, admittedly adorable, rant about this misnomer being one of her biggest pet peeves. I can still hear her voice in my hear strongly emphasizing the "bet," in "sherbet."

Wherever you are professor, I always say sherbet now, and apparently, so does Target. 

"It's as if a standard sour cream and onion chip took a trip down the condiment aisle"

Lay's Wavy Cuban Sandwich (Limited Time Flavor) - Walmart

In college, I worked at Panera Bread, and it was awesome. Mainly because of our epic work-family, (imagine a soup and sandwich version of Empire Records), but the food was pretty great too. I still eat there today, (which is something I can't say for another food-related job I had as a teen). Panera will always hold a special place in my heart, and my stomach. I like to recreate stuff in my kitchen all the time. Especially the older discontinued stuff, like their Cuban chicken panini. 

Americanized as it was, it was my first experience with the sandwich, and I loved it. The Panera take had focaccia bread, sweet and spicy pickle chips (closest I have found are the horse radish pickle chips from Aldi),  ham, chicken, tomato-based-whole-grain-mustard, chipotle mayo and swiss cheese, all toasted in the panini press. It is a pretty far cry from a legit Cuban sandwich, but I didn't know that back then. 

A legit Cuban has: ham, roasted pork (not chicken), salami, swiss cheese, mustard and pickles. Which looks like what this chip flavor is based on. The real deal. So, which take will taste more legit? My bastardized Panera sandwich of choice, or these chips? 

A Surprising Novelty - Mike & Ike's Peeps on a Stick

Mike and Ike Peeps on a Stick - Walmart 

Easter is right around the corner, so I might as well stick with the (accidental) Peeps-heavy posting. We've had Peeps in a can, Peeps in cotton candy, and now we have Peeps on a stick. Mike and Ike edition. 

So we have four different colors fruity flavored chicks on a stick. Is this worth buying? Or something we should skip? 

Peeps Cotton Candy? Worth buying?

Peeps Cotton Candy with Marshmallows - Target 

Peeps cotton candy with marshmallows. Is it just normal cotton candy? Marshmallow flavored cotton candy? I'm not entirely sure, but there ARE tiny freeze dried marshmallows inside, and I love cereal marshmallows, so I had to check it out. 

Ocean Bomb: Buu, Nami & Chun Li

I'm a sucker for cute packaging, sparkling drinks, and nostalgia. So these were a triple threat. Let's see if these are 100% novelty, or if they actually make for decent sipping!